Car-coupling



(No Model) 0. P. WILLSON.

- A GAR COUPLING;

No.,.254,'754. 1 Patented-Mar. 7, L882.

WITNESSES:

' INVBNTOR":

WW4 I H AZTQE UNITED STATES PATENT OFF CE;

CHARLES P WILLSON, OF SUMMIT POINT, WEST VIRGINIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,754, dated March'7, 1882. Application filed January 27, 1882. 1% model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES PERRY WILL- soN,of Summit Point, Jefferson county, State of West Virginia, have inventeda new and Improved Oar-Coupling; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and ex act description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which- Figure l is a side elevation, partly insection, of my improved automatic car-coupler. Fig. 2 is a plan view.Fig. 3 is a detail view, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the headsof the draw-hook.

My invention relates toautomatic car-couplings; and it consists in thepeculiar construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinaftermorefully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents the draw-bar of my improvedautomatic carcoupling provided with the draw-heads b b at its oppositeends, having the usual openings, 0 c, for the reception of the usuallinks or drawhooks, d d, hereinafter described. The central passage oropening, a, in each draw-head is enlarged at its rear end, and isprovided with opposite shoulders 0 against which rests a rectan gularplate, 0 pressed against the shoulders c by the tension of a spiralspring, a, one end of which bears against the back face of therectangular plate 0 and its opposite end bears against the rear end ofthe opening 0' in the draw-head, whereby an elastic bearing is furnishedthe link or draw-hook cl in coupling the cars. Each draw-head b is madesemicircular on its upper and lower face, as shown at 1) b and its frontend, b is curved, for a purpose hereinafter described.

01 d represent the draw-hooks, similarly constructed, so that adescription of one will answer for both. Each draw-hook (1 consists of arectangular plate, 0, provided with opposite shoulders near its rearend, and an arm, h,

" adapted to enter the central opening or pasplate 6.

secured to the upper and lower i'acesof the plate 0 at the outer end ofthe arm h. The inner faces of theblocks is next the draw-head are cutaway at k with the same radius as the semicircular projections b b onthe upper and lower faces of the draw-head and the curved end of thedrawhcad, so that the draw-hooks will be capable of a slight pivotalmovement in the arc of a vertical circle on the coupling-pin j as acenter. The front faces of the arms or blocks 7: above and below theplate 6 are hollowed out and cut away in the arcs of vertical andhorizontal circles, as shown at in the drawings. The forward endofthedraw-hook is curvedor rounded, and provided on its upper face with acurved plate, 1, formed with or secured to it, and having a round convexedge, and made convex at its rear end and extending from its upperconvex edge, a, to the upper edge or face of the The under face of theplatec of the draw-hook d is provided on its lower face, immediatelyunder the curved plate I, with aplate, Z, having a concave edge, Z andhollowed out inwardly to receive and hold the plate 1 of the otherdraw-hook. By this construction the curved inner faces of the arms 70are adapted to turn in arcs of vertical circles on the circular ends ofthe draw-heads, the draw-hooks on cars of the same or different heightscoupling with each other when drawn together, the upper convex plate onthe end of the hook riding under the lower concave of the oppositedrawhook, or vice versa, depending on the relative height of the cars,and the outer ends of the hooks being guided into their proper positionsby the hollowed front portions of the arms 70, so that when the cars aredrawn slightly apart or separated the convex lower face of one plate ofthe hook will engage with the hollowed-out concave plate of the oppositehook and the two cars be automatically coupled by their hooks. In case,also, of a falling through a bridge or being thrown from the track thedrawhooks will slip out one from the other and become uncoupled, thefront car not drawing the rear car from the track with it. The frontends of the draw-hooks may be raised or lowered, as desired, by a cordsecured to the front end of the draw-hook and extending to the top of acar or its platform, by which the front ends of the draw-hooks may beraised or lowered to couple the cars.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The draw-hook d herein described,contheir front outer surfaces hollowed outin arch of vertical andhorizontal circles, and having the rounded front end of the plate 0provided on its upper face with a curved plate, I, made convex 0n therear of its lower face, and provided on its under facewith the plate I,having a concave edge, 1 and the rear part of its upper face hollowedout inwardly, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the draw-bars a a, provided with draw-heads b bat their opposite ends, having semicircular curves b b 0n the upper andlower faces of their ends, of the draw-hooks d d, pivoted in thedraw-heads and constructed as set forth, substantially as described, andfor the purpose set forth.-

CHARLES PERRY WILLSON.

Witnesses:

J. W. GRIFFITH, T. L. SHIRLEY.

